JAY – At the Select Board meeting Monday night, Law Enforcement Services Manager of Dirigo Safety Shawn O’Leary and Executive Director of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association Edward Toland spoke about the Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (MLEAP) and the recent accreditation of the Jay Police Department.
“About eight years ago, law enforcement decided we needed to do something to bring some departments more aligned with the standards they should be adhering to,” Toland said. “We feel this is a program that really says your department is doing things the right way, and doing it professionally.”
There are 167 standards the department needed to meet in order to be accredited, and teams of assessors were brought in to make sure the department met all of these standards.
“These standards are based on best-practiced ways that law enforcement should perform not only in the state of Maine but nationally,” O’Leary said. Some of these standards include the hiring process, the types of investigations they do, and training.
“The idea is the department that becomes accredited meets all of those standards best-practice and they are following what is wanted by our profession,” O’Leary said. “But more importantly, giving back to the community so your community knows that the Jay Police Department is not only professional but has reached a level that not many departments in the state have reached.”
O’Leary presented the board with an accreditation award and plaque to be posted in the lobby of the Town Office so citizens can see that the Jay Police Department is fully accredited in the state of Maine.
The board then discussed the remaining money in the Highway Building Reserve accounts and the American Rescue Plan Act funds (ARPA). There is an obligated balance of $239,000 left in ARPA funds, and the reserve has a total of $119,000.
The board made a motion to take out $200,000 from the ARPA account and $65,000 from the building reserve to cover the costs of ARPA projects approved by the board. This list includes the Highway Department garage renovations and addition. The renovations consist of energy upgrades and modifications of the main building, along with the construction of a lunchroom. This would leave $54,000 in the building reserve and $39,000 in ARPA funds.
